I know that the Red Tailed Hawk feathers are regulated by the "Eagle Feather" law.

However, if one very small downy feather from a Red Tailed Hawk lands in my lap, is that not a sign that it is mine? It is a message to me.

It is quite windy out with gusts blowing everything around. I was outside on my patio watching the Hawk when the little (about one inch long and 1/2 wide) feather landed right in my lap.

Do I have to carry this little feather out to the University and turn it in? It is just the right size to use on one of my Native American-like dolls.

Okay - I went back outside and found a whole pile of these feathers. It looks like a cat or something got a quail. I did some research and these feathers I gathered are, I am sure, Quail feathers. I thought the first one, that landed in my lap, was maybe a downy underfeather of the Hawk.

Here are some pictures of my feathers:






If you notice the touch of red on the first feather (this was the one that landed in my lap), this is what made me think it might be from the Hawk. All the feathers are about the same size. That is my index finger in one photo.

What do you (anyone) think? Quail?

I don't know what the bird was, but I think it was caught and eaten by a hawk. Here in the midwest the Cooper's hawks catch and eat small birds and they always carefully pluck the feathers off first. We call the pile of feathers they leave a "feather puddle" and know that a Cooper's hawk ate there.

Thanks, Claybird. That is exactly what all the feathers looked like: a puddle. They were neatly all in one place, caught by the grasses, with only a few that got loose and blew in the wind. I gathered quite a few. I am sure now that they are quail feathers. There was no sign of a dead bird. I observe the hawks here every day. They prepare their catch where they caught it then fly away to another place to eat it. So, I think you are right about it being a hawk.

It's best to use purchased (commercially produced) feathers for all crafting. Federal laws protect not only raptor birds but almost every bird feather, and the penalties are exorbitant and include prison, just for having the protected feathers in your possession.

The only exception I know of is for members of Federally recognized tribes.

Here's the irony. A friend of ours was a duck hunter. He offered some beautiful Mallard feathers, but I had to refuse. Even if these ducks were "owned" by someone and did not migrate, but lived year round on the owner's property, those feathers are still illegal for me to possess in any way. My Tribe is not Federally recognized, and even if it was, I could only use the feathers personally. They could not be bartered, traded, or sold in any way. My friend can legally hunt the ducks and feed his family, but the feathers, by law, must be "wasted."

But there is some progress on this. The State recognized Tribes of SC petitioned the legislature to allow our members to use wild turkey feathers and it passed. Once wild turkeys were removed from the endangered list, the population exploded to the point a hunting season was needed. If I recall correctly from my Chief's explanation, turkeys don't migrate and this provides some type of loophole so state law is not at odds with the Federal Protection Act.

The best way to "protect" one's self from the Federal Protection Act is not to use any "found" feathers in craft projects. What a WASTE!

I much prefer your wind-blown gift from the hawk, over my gift from an owl many years ago. My daughter was about 5 years old and we got in the car one morning to see a little bird head on the hood. My daughter FREAKED, I got out, looked up and said "Geesh, Thanks a lot" as sarcastically as I could. It didn't happen again, so I guess I was heard.

Thanks for the information, lcp. I reviewed the laws just after I posted the first one. I did not see anything about quail feathers though. I will have to research that again. Quail feathers are sold online or in crafted items, so I do not think they will be illegal to possess or sell on my dolls.

Just to make sure, I will read the laws again.

It's been a while since I bought feathers for anything other than the Kid's Craft Table we do twice a year for my Tribe. I don't recall seeing quail feathers at any gatherings or in stores or catalogues, but I haven't looked lately.

The Federal law can be confusing and it basically depends upon how aggressively the State pursues it and their own protection laws. With so many species of quail, the commercially farmed one's feathers could be legal and the wild ones could be protected by either Federal or State.

Along with the IRS and the DEA, this is another area within our government where "innocent until proven guilty" has been flipped. Suspected "illegal" items are seized first and generally not returned or reimbursed. But it really depends upon the State authorities. SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR)has a nasty reputation, sending undercover agents to Pow-Wows and gatherings. The State protection laws there are extreme and they have hauled people to jail straight from Pow-wow, and seized ALL their property.

In over 12 years of attending events in GA, I have never heard a peep about the GA DNR, other than a brief comment about them not going down to St. George. I bet there is a story behind that, but I didn't ask. However, all feathers have detailed descriptions and certain things like turtle shells and bear claws on display are always tagged "Not For Sale."

If you can figure out the Federal law on this, you should also check State laws. To be completely on the safe side, anything made with legal "found" feathers should probably stay within that State. We have quail farms, a hunting season and clubs all over the South, but I would still be hesitant about using the feathers in anything other than for myself or a gift for a friend or family (not in SC).

It was a real surprise when the wild turkey legislation passed in SC, but then my Chief is one formidable character.

Here's a photo of my Chief's Headdress. At over 6 ft tall and wearing that headdress, maybe it's not so surprising the wild turkey feather legislation passed.

Thank you, lcp. I will make sure to check carefully on the laws and quail feathers. I may have to end up using them just for my own crafts that I will keep.

Knowing you for so long, I feel as if I also know your Chief. He does seem like a formidable person. Good for him!

I love your Chief's Headdress. That is very impressive.